Enlarged Cotter Dam gets ICRC tick

Yes, but apparently this CSIRO worst case is actually what has been occurring over the last few years. Even worse actually. And the ICRC favoured projects which don’t even have approval yet, which means their preference would be to do nothing.

I smell ACTEW spin.

This extract from the ICRC report suggests ACTEW based it’s case for the Dam expansion on the worst possible climate change scenario.

“From its review of ACTEW’s assessment processes and advice to the Board in August 2009, the Commission cannot find that the decision to proceed with the ECD as an independent project was prudent in terms of meeting the standard principles and tests as outlined in chapter 6. The Commission has a number of concerns with the supporting analysis that was provided to the Board. The two major concerns of the Commission were that the analysis:
• was based on extreme estimates of the willingness to pay to avoid water restrictions and of the likely occurrence of dry periods requiring water restrictions in the future (that is, climate change outcomes at the extreme end of the CSIRO estimated range)
• identified other possible options that were potentially more appropriate in terms of maximising the NEB available to the community rather than proceeding with the ECD option.”